Electrodes of electrochemical cells, such as capacitors or batteries, are frequently accommodated in cup-shaped housings. These housings are delimited by a bottom on one side and closed off with a lid on the other side. On the lid, there are generally two electrical connectors that serve for contacting the electrodes located in the interior of the cup-shaped housing. In this arrangement, conductors made of electrically conductive material are frequently either affixed to the electrodes, or projecting regions of the electrodes are trimmed in such a manner that projecting conductors are formed. These conductors are then connected with the electrical connectors either by means of screw connections (see FIG. 1A) or connected rigidly by means of welding. Such contact between the electrodes and the electrical connectors is difficult to implement and, therefore, very time-consuming and thus also costly in production.
In another variant of cup-shaped housings for electrochemical cells, the electrodes are contacted via indentations having a rectangular cross-section, which are, for example, arranged on the inside walls of the lid and the housing bottom. In this case, the potential of the one electrode is applied to the housing cup, which must be insulated electrically from the lid, which has the potential of the other electrode applied to it. As is evident in FIGS. 2A and 2B, these indentations contact projecting regions of the electrodes, whereby as a rule only a small contacting area is present between the indentations and the electrodes. Such contact points are furthermore also frequently welded using a laser, for example. Since the laser beam is frequently cone-shaped in the region of the indentation, it is weakened at the outer edges of the indentation in the case of rectangular indentations so a very low input of energy of the laser into the interior of the indentation results, so that the indentation might be only insufficiently welded to the electrode (see FIG. 2B, for example).
In this arrangement, in the case of capacitors and batteries, porous separators are frequently present between the two electrodes with different polarities, which separators are saturated with an electrolyte solution so that the two electrodes are in contact with the electrolyte solution.
Frequently, in the case of conventional housings, electrical insulations, e.g., plastic injection-molded parts, are present between the housing and the lid (see FIG. 1A, for example) if different potentials are applied to the lid and the housing. Furthermore, sealing rings are also present in this arrangement, which form a tight seal between the housing and the lid so that the electrolyte solution cannot get into the environment. Such embodiments require an accordingly long and therefore cost-intensive assembly because of their complicated structure.